German born Australian National Men’s Senior Football Manager Holger Osieck has finally started his assessment of domestic Australian football and the A-League.
After a good start to his four year reign as Australia’s Football Supremo with a Socceroos victory against European Championship co-host Poland and a creditable draw with the highly ranked Swiss team, Holger has returned to take up residency in Australia and took time out this weekend to watch his first two A-League games.
He was a spectator at Brisbane Roar against Adelaide United and The Gold Coast against the Central Coast mariners.
“It’s logical I live in this country, watch the A-League and talk to the coaches,” he said. “First off I need to get an idea of the standard itself, the players and the level of game. After a couple of weeks I think I will have a good picture.
“I have my own point of view and I think it is a great piece of development that Australia now has its own professional league. But, it is still very young and needs time to develop. The talent is there and some players have already impressed me.”
Rising Adelaide United star Mathew Leckie picked the perfect time to ensure the A-League made a good first impression on new Socceroos coach Holger Osieck at Lang Park.
Adelaide coach Rini Coolen is a great admirer of Leckie and his growth as a professional football player and expects Osieck would have taken a good look at the Young Socceroo as he looks towards selecting a national squad for January’s Asian Cup in Qatar.
“I think Leckie can decide a game,” Coolen said.
“He’s so strong and so fast and his skills are so great he can be a real big time player.”
The national team coach saw the 19-year-old striker, who produced the goal of round five against Sydney FC, make another superb run and strike to punish a midfield turnover by Brisbane, in the process confounding defenders Erik Paartalu and Matt Smith.
“What he has done well since last season, he had to score goals and that’s what he’s already done, he’s scored four goals in seven games and that’s not bad,” Coolen said.
Osieck also looked on as Gold Coast United missed the chance to close the gap on the A-League leaders after being held to a 0-0 draw by the Central Coast Mariners at Skilled Park.
The Mariners defended well against United’s three pronged attack and Holger was suitably impressed with a number of players from both teams including Socceroo midfielder Jason Culina.
Osieck will assess more of the local talent over the next couple of weeks, before choosing his squad for the friendly against Paraguay in Sydney in October.
There will also be a couple more friendlies for the Aussies in November and December and plenty of A-League games to watch before he commits to a squad for the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.
The squad for the upcoming friendlies will be a mix of Socceroos and A-League talent. “The public has a right to see their Socceroos, some of the players that did so well in South Africa.
“From my perspective I think they did well in the friendly games too, so definitely I will try to bring them over,” Osieck said.
But Osieck is also aware of some great young local Australian talent and is very keen to show off his prowess for developing young players into fine senior national team players.
Osieck will be spending most of his time in Australia from now till the Asian Cup kicks off and is giving the local A-League players as much of a chance as possible to force their way into the national team.
They will have a definite advantage over fringe Socceroos like Nathan Burns, Nikita Rukavytsya and Dario Vidosic who have gone overseas, but aren’t getting enough playing time.
jimbo
Roar Guru
If Aussieck can get a couple of victories in friendlies against Paraguay and Egypt, what a confidence booster leading into the Asian Cup. I'm hoping for a few surprises when he announces the squad for the Paraguay game in a couple of weeks.
Midfielder
Guest
So far so good and appears to be an excellent choice but I will hold my fire a little bit... if he can convert his words into action ... we will send his name to the Pope as Footballs nomination for a Saint... But to be fair he does appear to be a very astute choice .... makes all those comments pre and immediately after his appointment by the FFA hate police seem silly now,....
Midfielder
Guest
AF Agree on the Fold V Mariners tho it was about our worst display in a long while.... also unsual for the squad this year... Tho Fold should have won actually ... only good thing from Mariners was the Ryan young goal keeper is getting better each week...
Australian Football
Roar Guru
There was an interesting interview on TWG SBS. Oise was being drilled by Les and Fozzie. And he came up with all the right answers. The best was he will be working closely with Han Berger developing technically skilled youngsters. Something that Pim Verbeek had no interest in. This is exactly what I wanted the hear. A National Manager, Osie his assistant Vidmar and the Technical Directer Han Berger all pulling in one direction. He was also glowing and sensible when asked about the HAL saying it was a young competition and said it will grow and develop the way the Bundesliga did in its first years of existence..
jimbo
Roar Guru
I'm sure Osieck has a plan and long tern strategy that he is working to. He has nothing to fear if he is given the opportunity, the resources and the players to execute that plan.
jimbo
Roar Guru
Yes, its good to see that Holger has more of an open mind and will give the A-League players a chance. He will also hand pick a group of young Australians to help them make that big step up in grade to world class, which must benefit the A-League and the Socceroos in the long run.
DiCanio
Guest
sure he is quaking in his boots.
Tadpohle
Roar Rookie
Yesterdays stereotyping ......... not keeping up Davidv ........ Ver Beek and arnold were the only one's poo pooing the ALeague. Herbert and everybody else couldn't work out what was happening. Ver Beek and arnold just wanted to stay in europe on their junket scouting the players trick. I like that Osiek is not shackled by arnold's narrow minded vindictive selection criteria, and the fact that he is selecting potential players to bring on. I understand that he can't put them in a team, but we can look forward to their emergence with more confidence, knowing that an experienced person is now overseeing their developement. Europe is not, and never should have been, the stage for our young guns to ply their trade for international honours. There are now two avenues for a football career, Europe and Osiek. I would think an Osiek prepared international and then europe would be a richer and less risky way to go to the top.
Cpaaa
Roar Pro
Im keeping my mouth shut about Osie , great name by the way. With that name he might even make the chant of Osie Osie Osie eck eck eck....sound cool and worthy. I havnt seen any of the Roos games under Osie, so its too early to say. I do hope we see a new era of youth enter the Senior squad and fingers crossed a few more A-Leaguers. But Osie if your reading, do us proud, for my knives are always sharpened if you dont. We have the players ,you just need them to make them connect.
Axel V
Guest
Pim Verbeek was such a c%^#. The best word to describe him is "Hopelesh"
David V.
Guest
Good to hear. I agree the A-League is as good as it's ever been. However, it's also victim of the group think mentality (and all the cliches, stereotyping, etc) that often comes with football in Australia- namely, that because it's perceived as an inferior product not worth watching, it's saddled with that for life.
whiskeymac
Guest
certanly a boost for hal players ambitions. osieck's mandate is different to pims. pim was told to qualify only - which he did and cld do so with the same team as arnold/ hiddink/ farina - there were a few newbies thrown in and or signed up (Williams, Lowy, Spiranovic, Oar) Osieck i understand is to qualify and compete over a four year period - he needs to develop new players to do so, and he needs to look to the HAL to find some of them (many wil till be o/seas (Davidson, Mooy, Kilkenny maybe) - Leckie, Devere etc i get the impression, like tadphole, that the berger osieck combo is a positive move for the development and therefore selection of new/ emerging players. i also think the euro coaches and newly qualified local coaches are also playing their part in the equation - am happy to see leckie develop under Rini Coolen, or the hEart youngsters or Straka's Fury mob.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
How refreshing it is to hear that Oise is now going to give the HAL players a fair go to represent the National team. The domestic standard of Australian Football has never been higher at the moment---so let us have a team HAL players up against the Paraguayans to see where we are at.. That said, I was one of the few who ventured out to watch GCU v CCM/D game and came away shaking my head. GCU had 33 attacks on goal to CCM/D 6. If seems Graham Arnold has brought to the HAL Pim's pragmatic style of play, that is the only blight on the HAL I can see at present. Let's hope that changes sooner rather than later ______ AF
Tadpohle
Roar Rookie
Hearing what Osiek and Berger are saying and doing is far more newsworthy then the musings of finke and company. I have so much more confidence in the player management under these two and knowing that arnold is out of the picture.